Akai Ito
by waymay
Summary: It's been over a year since his death, but somehow life finds a way, and Ulquiorra returns from the Great Beyond. Mysterious work is at play, but first, does he have what it takes to become human? Ulquiorra x Orihime. Non-canon, taken place after Aizen's initial capture. New timeline.
1. Chapter 1 - Welcome Back

**Summary: **It's been over a year since his death, but somehow life finds a way, and Ulquiorra returns from the Great Beyond. Mysterious work is at play, but first, does he have what it takes to become human? Ulquiorra x Orihime. Non-canon, taken place after Aizen's capture. New timeline.

**Note:** This story takes place after the initial capture of Sosuke Aizen. During this time, there is relative peace and tranquility in Soul Society and the human world, but how long can that last before a new malignant force emerges? A new adventure is born centering around Ulquiorra, a former Espada, and Orihime.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters nor do I own Bleach!

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**Chapter 1**

**Welcome Back**

* * *

"_...Are you scared of me?"_

"_I'm not scared."_

He knew he had died.

Counting days passed was pointless.

Infinite darkness. Deafening silence. Crippling loneliness. _Those _were his only companions, and he knew them all too well.

He floated on a boundless river. His destination? Who knows. He only knew this was the road to his end...whenever it would arrive.

The Arrancar could recount every moment up until the white light disappeared. Behind closed eyes, he could see her brown orbs staring back at him, coated with unshed tears as she reached a trembling hand out towards him.

"_...Are you scared of me?" _

It was the last thing he said to her.

If only he had a second more to spare, he thought to himself, as he watched the event play itself out once more. Brown eyes. Tears. Her hands. They tremble. Again. Again. Again. She almost touches him, but it's all for naught when his own appendage crumbled into ash, scattering into the wind. If only he had a second more to spare, then perhaps he could have given her his budding heart.

"_I'm not scared."_

Her voice echoed. It was the last thing he heard from her.

With his eyes still closed, he raised his right arm and his fingers stretched out as far as they could into the emptiness. He reached out towards her, but she always eluded his grasp. He stayed in this same position, frozen in time, as the scene played over and over like a broken record skipping over the same words in a song.

At some point, he had dozed off. There wasn't much for him to do but to wait before River Styx led him to the gates of Hell, or perhaps this was already _his _Hell. To relive, for all eternity, the moment he finally understood what it meant to be human. To yearn for more time before he was swept away into nothingness. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

This was his Hell.

The moment he understood what it meant to have a heart.

_His _Hell.

His chest tightened, but he hardly felt that when he saw her face again. Sad brown eyes staring at him. Unshed tears threatening to spill. And her lips moved: _I'm not scared. _But then, something changed.

Her lips moved again: _Open your eyes. _

_Wake up._

_Ulquiorra. _

_Wake up._

And then he blinked behind closed lids as something wet fell onto his face. His brows creased ever so slightly at the alien intrusion. Another pelted his face though with more vigor. Then, without a second to spare, an onslaught of rain came pouring down onto his entire body.

His eyes snapped opened. _Wake up. _Green orbs illuminated the darkness, but it wasn't all as he expected. It took but a moment for his sight to adjust, but in the distance, he could see speckles of dimming light, shining almost like stars as the raindrops briefly warped the glimmer. _Wake up._

Water streaked down his matted black hair, and dripped down the tip of his nose as gravity played its part. At that moment, he realized was no longer floating. He was no longer at the mercy of some invisible entity waiting to push him under water to drown. When he glanced down, his feet planted firmly on the soaking ground. The smell of wet grass assaulted his nostrils, unaccustomed really any scent other than the stench of scorching heat emanating from the desert.

He hated the rain.

Zipping up his jacket, Ulquiorra took a tense step forward; his toes curled under the dampened ground, and he couldn't help but to bend over and ran his pale fingers over the soft turf, digging into the wet soil.

If this was a dream, it felt pretty damn real. He rubbed the fine particle between his index finger and thumb, contemplating its texture. The Arrancar concluded it was much softer than sand.

_Look around._

He stood straight, his attention on high alert. Where was that voice coming from? And so he looked. The clouds above flashed and groaned momentarily, illuminating the dark field. It lasted for a second, but it was more than enough. There were no other bodies around but his own.

Nevertheless, he didn't let his guard down. His right hand flexed, slowly reaching across his body, to grasp the hilt of his sword, but all he found was empty space.

His pupils narrowed, the absence of his weapon was suddenly much too apparent. His soul cutter was quite literally a part of his being. How had he not noticed it before? Doesn't matter. He didn't need his sword to cause harm. Damn it.

The sky rumbled again, occasionally producing a bright light overhead. It wasn't until its third flash, he realized where he stood. His senses really dulled over time. But to anyone else, darkness always had a way of playing tricks on the mind, but he was sure he'd been here before. That's right. This was where he first stepped foot into the living world, into Karakura Town. This was where he first met _her_.

"Tch," he winced, gritting his teeth as his chest tightened, a dull pain. He glanced down, his slender hand instinctively shielding the injury, to inspect what damage had been inflicted upon him. But nothing was there, not even a scratch.

How queer.

Thunder roared and lighting cracked once more, snapping his attention back onto his new surrounding.

What _was_ he doing here? Why was he in Karakura Town? Surely, his punishment wasn't some elaborate scheme in this mortal realm. In any case, what was he to do now?

A slight shiver tracked down his spine, reminding him of the torrent of freezing rain that continued to crash down. His white uniform was soaked, clinging onto his slender form, and it made him feel all the more uncomfortable.

He didn't know where to go, but for some reason, his feet moved like they had a mind of their own. _It's time to go._

Yes, mysterious voice, perhaps he should seek shelter first.


	2. Chapter 2 - Hello, Again

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these characters nor do I own Bleach!

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**Chapter 2**

**Hello, Again**

* * *

_Inoue Household, approximately eleven thirty pm, Wednesday_

Orihime could hardly keep her eyes opened as she sat at her desk. The fluorescent light flickered dimly overhead, and the melancholic ticking from her alarm clock was enough to put her nearly to sleep. Her cheek rested on the palm of her right hand as her elbow, propped onto the desk, held her head up. That didn't keep her from nodding off as her eyelids grew heavier by the second. The mechanical pencil delicately balanced between her index and middle finger slipped as she made a conscious decision to just rest her eyes for a second.

A curtain of darkness fell over her, and a low hum of her bedroom electronics lulled her into a slumber.

**...**

A pang resonated within her chest as her senses suddenly spiked. Such powerful...such familiar reiatsu. She's been here before. She had sensed this once upon a time. The hairs on her arm raise in alert as she opened her eyes. With dilated pupils, she stared at the man kneeling in front of her. "I-Ishida-...kun?" Orihime whispered, but he didn't hear her. His attention was focused elsewhere.

Orihime turned just in time to see the scene unfold before her. A gasp slipped from her chapped lips as her arms dropped and released Santen Kesshun. The shield dissipated as she scrambled onto her feet. The spiritual energy was overpowering, crushing her lungs as she struggled to breathe. Her mouth was dry from the desert heat, though no sun shined above them. Instead, a blanket of black surrounded them from one end of the world to the other.

_What am I doing back here?_

She panicked; her eyes darting back and forth between the two figures flying in the sky. Their movements were too fast for her to comprehend, but she knew how this all unfold.

This was history repeating itself.

"S..." she started as she clenched her teeth together. "S-STOP!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, but no one paid any mind to her demand. The sounds of the cement towers crumbling and the screams of her Hollowfied friend overpowered her feeble voice. "Stop it-" she choked as she helplessly watched the bodies clash towards each other. Splashes of blood flew in every direction, covering what felt like every inch of the battlefield. "Please..." Her lower lip trembled as she bit down on her tongue, fighting back the tears which threatened to spill.

Everything happened so fast, but at the same time, it all moved so slowly.

What did she do to get trapped in this awful nightmare?

As if there was a skip in time, Orihime saw her earlier companion standing next to the towering Shinigami-Hollow hybrid, grabbing the arm of his companion as he threatened to end the life of his defeated enemy. She tried to look away, but as history would have it, forced her to cast her gaze downward towards her former captor. He'd been torn in half.

"That's _enough_, Kurosaki- Can't you hear me, Kurosaki?" The Quincy's grip tightened as he attempted to overpower their masked savior. The tip of the Shinigami's blade gleamed with glee, eager to taste more blood. "I'm telling you to _stop_, if you do that, you truly won't be human anymore!"

"I-Ishida-Kun!" she screamed in shock, eyes wide with horror as she watched the blade turn, piercing through the Quincy's stomach. Ishida flew back from the force, skidding onto the ground, only to be stopped by rubble strong enough to withstand the impact. Orihime covered her mouth as she released a cry. She needed to save him, but her legs were weak and her knees buckled together, falling onto the sandy floor.

_This was all her fault._

She remembered. She cried for help. She turned Kurosaki-kun into that mindless monster.

It didn't matter how much she pleaded: this was history, and it was playing out every scene to perfection. This nightmare terrified her to the core.

The orange haired Hollow charged his Cero. Energy gathered into a bright orb as it formed. He was ready to blast Ishida-kun into oblivion. Yet, it was all for naught when the single winged Arrancar shot up from behind the screaming Hollow, and in an instant, destroyed the demonic mask, revealing the familiar face of the man she so dearly fawned over.

Kurosaki-kun had been moments away from killing the archer, and _he _stopped it.

The Shinigami's humanity won over the Hollow side of him, and her ears rang as she watched her spiky haired friend shout at the Arrancar. Orihime listened as he demanded the Espada warrior to cut his arm and leg off, claiming the Hollowed him, in fact, was not him. Kurosaki-kun demanded a fair fight.

"No, no, no," she whispered as she was forced to watch the scene unfold, unable to alter history as it played before her.

"Tch," he muttered as he felt his wings break apart just after accepting Kurosaki-kun's much too gracious offer. "It's that bad?" The black haired Arrancar and her classmate bickered once more, as Kurosaki-kun vehemently refused to end his enemy's life without another brawl. Bitter at the thought having lost to the mortal, Ulquiorra exhaled through his nostrils. "Frustrating..."

And there it was.

Their eyes met. His hollow gaze casting onto her brown ones.

Time must have froze, because she felt her heart stop. Orihime knew what was coming next.

Ulquiorra reached his hand out towards her as he stood, stoic and proud. "...Are you scared of me, onna?" His ebony wings long disappeared in the still air.

Her heart twisted itself into a knot, and her lips moved on its own. "I'm not scared..." She fought back her tears. _What a shame it would be to cry over the enemy_, she thought. But in spite of that notion, Orihime still reached a trembling hand out towards him. But father time wasn't kind; she was too late. His hand turned to dust the moment she grasped for it. His lips moved, but she couldn't hear him. _What did he say? _His eyes, devoid of light, never left hers. And then, before she could comprehend his death, he vanished.

"Ul...Ulquiorra?"

"Inou-" Kurosaki interjected, but she didn't hear her comrade as she ran to where the Arrancar once stood.

"Ulquiorra?" she repeated as she looked around, hoping he used sonido to escape. "Please?" Her eyes, blurry with salty tears that finally spilled onto the ashened ground as she fell to her knee. "We have to put him back together," she muttered, frantically scraping at the earth, gathering what ash she could from the dead Espada. "He can't just disappear. I can use Soten Kisshun-I can reject this-"

"-Inoue!"

"Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted back, her shoulders were hitched, shaking, as her hands gripped at the hem of her dress. "We can't just leave him here! He was just beginning to understand-"

But the Shinigami ignored her plea as he grabbed her arm. "Now is not the time! You need to heal Ishida!"

Tears continued to pour out as she begged the empty space around them. "Ulquiorra, _wake up_!" It was her final plea.

If only they had one more second, then he wouldn't have died alone.

"_Wake up!"_

**...**

_Inoue Household, approximately eleven forty pm, Wednesday_

Darkness enveloped her as the power surged, then everything came back to life with a whirl. Her refrigerator beeped from the kitchen, and the familiar hum of electronics filled the silence once more. Thunder rumbled, lightly rattling items laid about in her apartment.

It wasn't supposed to rain tonight.

Forecast had predicted it to be a cloudless evening. And it really dampened her plans, no pun intended. Exams were around the corner, and she planned to visit Tatsuki, her best friend, for a study session, but with no mode of transportation, she decided to stay home.

Curse this weather.

It always made her sleepy and unproductive.

Her head bobbed forward, slipping from her hand just as the pencil dropped onto the wood floor, snapping off the lead tip. Her eyes groggily snapped opened as she caught herself from banging her head onto her textbook. _What?_

In an instant, she'd forgotten her dream.

_Oops. _When did she doze off? She squeezed her eyes, rubbing away the sleep, but instead, Orihime found herself wiping away tears. She glanced down at her hand, confused.

What nightmare caused her to cry?

With the cuff of her sleeve, Orihime dabbed away what was left of her befuddling tears. She sniffled; her nose stuffed. The teen sighed, staring down at her writing as she made an attempt to go back to studying.

After a moment, she felt her eyeslids grow heavy once more. Was the text moving?

"Agh," she muttered, suddenly sitting up straight and smacking her cheeks lightly with the palms of her hands. _Wake up. Wake up._ Maybe she needed a pick-me-up.

Orihime pushed back against the desk, the legs of her chair groaning as they rubbed against the floor board. A small cup of coffee should keep her awake long enough to finish her homework. If the weather lets up tomorrow, she'll review everything else with Tatsuki after school.

As she made her way towards the living room, Orihime paused and glanced at the bookshelf situated left of the door. A faint smile stretched across her lips as she looked at the photo of her late brother, Sora. Her heart ached for him. It felt like it was just yesterday that he was sitting right next to her in the living room. That was four years ago. Since then the apartment was all too quiet and lonely. Her eyes then darted towards the left of Sora-nii. It was a small glass bottle filled to the brim with white sand. The sight of it tugged at her heartstrings, though for a different reason she couldn't quite comprehend.

Orihime gently touched the bottle, careful not to disturb the contents inside.

"Okay!" she said to herself cheerfully, sniffling once more. "Coffee, study, sleep!" She chanted to herself with newfound energy as she marched into the kitchen. "Coffee, study, sleep!" Orihime pumped her fist in the air as she cheered herself on, puffing out her cheeks, determined not to fall victim to any other distraction. "Coffee, study, sleep!"

Once in the kitchen, the teen turned on the kettle and the water boiled from earlier that afternoon began to heat up. From the pantry, she pulled out a silver tin and popped open the lid. The fragrant aroma of the ground coffee beans further lifted her spirits as she deeply inhaled. This was _just _what she needed.

With one hand holding onto the can, the other reached for a porcelain cup which sat on the drying rack. "Coffee, study, sleep!"

Without warning, lightning cracked overhead, startling her, nearly causing her to drop the coffee grinds. "Goodness," she muttered to herself, catching her breath from the sudden scare. "That was too close for-"

The hair on the back of her neck stood straight, and the grip on the tin canister slacked. It clattered onto the floor, the coffee grounds spilled, scattering all over the once clean tile, but she didn't notice.

Instead, her eyes were focused her front door. Her pupils were the size of a pinpoint. A presence, a familiar reiatsu - someone she once knew - had accompanied Kami-sama's thundering strike. Her hands trembled as cold sweat quickly formed on her temples.

If she didn't move, would it go away?

Orihime stood still, holding in her breath; her training had taught her to be aware of any sudden changes surrounding her, and that presence remained outside. However odd it was, though. Whoever it was didn't movie.

The kettle clicked, signaling to Orihime that the water had finished boiling. Her attention momentarily darted towards the metal pot before it fixated itself back onto the door.

Every particle of her body told her to stay put. _Kurosaki-kun will be here at any moment,_ she thought to herself. _He can handle this_-but wait, why _should _she always rely on him? Orihime had been training with Yoruichi all these months.

Since her return from Hueco Mundo, she wanted to become stronger, to take care of herself. Since her capture, she'd been training diligently to make sure there wouldn't be a round two kidnapping. She wanted to be strong for herself and for her friends. The idea of being a burden was cumbersome.

_Okay._

She swallowed; her throat parched.

_Okay._ She repeated as she finally took a step forward, careful not slip on the makeshift coffee sand. She'd have to remember to clean that up later - if there _was _a later.

It seemed like an eternity passed before she finally made it to the front door. And with trembling hands, she turned the knob, bracing herself for whatever horror lied on the other side.

She swung the door open forcefully, hoping to catch her enemy off guard, and her mouth opened wide ready to call forth Tsubaki, but no one was there, at least not...visibly?

Orihime took a step outside onto the wet concrete. Her socks absorbed the icy cold water, drenching her toes. An uncomfortable shudder up crawled her spine. Her body told her to go back inside. The freezing winter temperature was unforgiving. However, ignoring the warning, she stepped forward.

The further Orihime moved away from the comfort of her abode, the further her confidence waned.

Soon, her body was completely soaked from the rain. Her perfect hair clung to the curves of her face as her body instinctively began to shiver.

Orihime lived on the second floor of her apartment complex and from where she stood, she could see everything.

And she saw him.


	3. Chapter 3 - Virtuous

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of its characters!

**A/N:** Thank you guys for the wonderful comments so far! I apologize for the inconsistent updates. I'm hoping in the next few weeks, I'll get onto a more regular schedule since I am currently traveling overseas and the time difference gets so confusing sometimes! Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter.

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**Chapter 3**

**Virtuous**

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_Inoue Household, approximately eleven fifty pm, Wednesday_

Had it not have been for the odd weather pattern over Karakura Town, everyone would have immediately sensed the powerful foreign entity which seemingly appeared out of thin air. Even in the dead of the night, any sudden changes in the atmosphere would have had her comrades jumping out of their beds and rushing to ground zero.

However, this was not the circumstance.

Despite the weatherman indicating that there had been a less than ten percent chance of rain with clear skies and no cloud in sight and despite that they weren't in the middle of the rainy season, Karakura Town was met with an assault of rain, thunder, and lightning. But forecasters were never one hundred percent correct, and let's face it: weirder things have happened.

The first to arrive was Shihouin Yoruichi in human form, for obvious reasons, having sensed Ulquiorra's presence when he first appeared and tracked him to the abode. Though the Arrancar said nothing upon her arrival, he quickly realized she and the black cat he'd seen on his journey here were one and the same.

For a long while, none of them exchanged any words, not until Orihime broke the silence, handing the former Cuatro Espada a set of dry clothes. "Here, wear these." She stared down at her feet, after having swapped into new attire herself. While her feet were warm and comfy, the atmosphere was cold and, well, to say the least, awkward.

With his hands in his pockets, Ulquiorra stared at the ridiculous attire.

"You'll get sick."

"I don't get sick."

"He speaks," Yoruichi ooh'd sarcastically from the kitchen, trying to find something to eat.

"Ah..." Orihime started, puffing out her cheeks. Can Hollows get sick? "Mmm, then, you're getting my floorboard wet." She pointed down at the wooden panels. "If it gets damaged, I'll lose my deposit fee."

He stared at her, unblinking. "I don't understand."

"Mmm...Please don't damage my home?" The younger female finally glanced up at her male guest, a nervous smile flitted across her lips. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the first time she really looked at him in a lit room, not that she _had _much of an opportunity to really take in his appearance. Yoruichi made herself a guest the moment after they stepped into the apartment.

A minute after Ulquiorra took her offering, the second set of visitors, who came in a very loud and destructive wave, arrived. The group consisted of Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Yasutora Sado. They lived closest to Orihime, being a block away at most. Even then, there were some days where it felt like a ten minute walk was still too far; tonight being one of those nights.

"Let me in!" Tatsuki snapped, attempting to squeeze through the pileup at the doorway. The tomboy shoved the heel of her palm against Ichigo, as she contorted her body to fit through the tiny space. All four bodies trying to get into the apartment at the same time.

"I was here _first_!" the Shinigami snapped with a hand gripping onto the doorframe.

"I'm her best friend!"

And lastly, Ishida Uryuu, who claimed he would have arrived sooner if he wasn't almost struck by lightning.

"Ah, no wonder your hair looks like a deep fried bird's nest," sniggered Rukia behind her palm.

Only ten seconds elapsed between the second group and Uryuu's arrival.

"It seems like you're all getting a little rusty," the shapeshifter purred nonchalantly, still in the kitchen. She pulled out the carton of half consumed milk from the refrigerator and twisted open the cap, chugging down the remaining beverage. "Ah!" exclaimed the dark-skinned woman with a wide grin. A white moustache rested on her upper lip. "That hit the spot."

Exasperated, Orihime made a mental note to herself to buy more milk.

Ignoring the comment from Yoruichi, Ichigo spoke to Orihime. "Where is he?" the short-tempered Shinigami quickly recognized the unique reiatsu. His sword was drawn as his eyes quickly scanned the room. It was more than obvious that spiritual pressure didn't belong to any of them. "There's only six of us."

"Put the sword down," Tatsuki snapped as she lept as far as she could from the blade wielder. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Seven," Uryuu muttered as he pulled out a blue cloth, drying his glasses. "There's seven of us."

"Are you stupid? Six!"

"_Seven_."

Ichigo rudely pointed at each individual in the room, counting loudly to prove his point. "_Suh-ix. _Idiot."

The Quincy pointed at his classmate. "Seh-ven. _Imbecile_."

Rukia choked on her cackle as she watched Ichigo's face redden like a Christmas light being plugged in. "Fool! Who forgets to count themselves?"

"How are you top twenty in our year? Idiot!" Tatsuki chimed in on the fun.

"..."

"You, too, Chad?" Ichigo exclaimed, baffled at his friends' agreement with one another. The tip of his ears glowed with chagrin.

For a moment, they had forgotten the dire situation which gathered them all to Orihime's apartment. Poking fun at the spiky haired teen always seemed to ease up any jitters.

The knob to the guest bedroom turned, and all laughter ceased. Seven pairs of eyes focused their attention onto the wooden door as it squeaked open. Tension was heavy between all the individuals.

"Ah!" Orihime shouted suddenly, catching her companions off guard and ran over to the door. "Oh-oh, how _odd._ Why would, hahaha, why would this be opening on its own?" She grabbed the knob and pulled the door shut. "It must be a - a ghost! Yeah! Wait-" The healer paused, thinking it was a terrible idea to say a ghost was on the other side. Ghosts couldn't open doors! They flew through them!

"Inoue, move aside." Ichigo demanded as he stepped forward, Zangetsu still in his hands.

"Kurosa-" She tried to plead, holding a hand out towards the small crowd while the other remained on the brass doorknob. But, the door swung open despite her attempt to keep it shut. "Ulquio-" Orihime turned to the man standing on the other side. "Ulquiorra?"

Although animosity was at an all time high, everyone stared at the Arrancar, mouth agape. Even Ichigo's offensive stance slacked. It wasn't that _he_ made an appearance. No, everyone already knew who it was just by sensing his energy, but it was his entire disposition that had the party dumbfounded.

"Your hole," she broke the silence with a shuddered exhale. "And..._estigma_." Orihime gestured towards his cheeks where the tear like tattoos once streaked down his face. "They're...gone?" She turned towards her friends. Was she hallucinating?

Nope. They were just as shocked as she was.

The once-Hollow glanced down, but since he couldn't see the empty space that used to sit between his collarbone, he reached up, pale fingers touching the area. What should have been a hole was replace with...skin. The pads of his digits traced along the edge of the missing hollow, discovering it wasn't all entirely smooth. Uneven bumps outlined the circle. A scar. He applied pressure, wondering if the skin was merely a facade. How odd. His expression stayed the same, but just like the others, he was quite confused.

Ulquiorra pulled away at the collar of his shirt. His _cuatro _tattoo was still there. The once proud symbol of the Espada contrasted against his pale grey skin. His attention turned to the hostess, noticing her focus had been on his tattoo as well. Her distant look told him she'd been reminiscing over painful pasts.

"Damn it, Ulquiorra!" the Shinigami snapped out of his daze with a shout, causing everyone, except the former Arrancar, to nearly jump out of their skin. "How did you come back? We saw you _die_. We saw you get turned to _dust_!" The grip on his sword tightened when an answer wasn't immediately received.

Orihime looked away, her brows furrowed. Why did he had to bring back bitter memories?

"More importantly, what are you doing _here_?" the Quincy chimed in.

Suddenly, everyone had a comment and began shouting over each other. "Are the Espada on the rise again?" "Who sent you here?" "Why are you here?" "Kidnapping _again_?" Except for Yoruichi who opened the fridge once again, hoping to find more milk hidden in the back. "Do you have anymore milk?"

"Who _are _you even?" Tatsuki shouted, confused and obviously having no idea what was going on. The tomboy had once met Ulquiorra and his giant companion in the past. Her memories had been fuzzy, after nearly getting knocked out from their foreboding reiatsu. Despite her fear of a part two of the previous encounter, Tatsuki still joined the group. After all, she would do anything for Orihime, even if it meant risking her own life.

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled, immediately silencing the room. His frustration was palpable as his reiatsu flared.

"Do you have any alcohol?" Yoruichi asked, unphased by the hot head's annoyance.

"We're underaged!" the entire lot, sans Rukia, responded in unison.

"Can we _focus_? Just what is your business here, Ulquiorra?" The orange haired Shinigami raised his blade and pointed it at the unenthused former Espada.

"You expect me to know?" He drawled, slipping his hands into the pocket-wait, these pants had no pockets. He stared down at his loungewear. "I don't have pockets," he said flatly, turning his attention towards Orihime, irked.

"Ah, well, those are called-"

"Stop it with the chit chat!" With a yell, Ichigo lunged forward towards the couple in front of him. The mere sight of the Arrancar made his blood boil, and his frankness with their healer pissed him off even more. It was time to end this little reunion once and for all. "You died once. You can die again!" The Shinigami pulled back his blade, ready to strike.

"STOP!" Orihime jumped in front of Ulquiorra. She could feel their energies spike as they both prepped for an offensive attack. "Santen Kesshun-" Three fairy like creatures dashed out from her hair clip, forming a yellow large barrier between her and Ichigo.

Unable to stop himself in time, Zangetsu lacerated the shield, shattering it into pieces before they vanished. "Shit-" the force of his attack shoved her back, knocking her against the pale man. "Inoue-" Ichigo started, immediately regretting his actions.

The fairies returned to Orihime as she dropped her stance. "-Kurosaki-kun." Her pupils were blown to the nines as her heart palpitated. It felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Though there'd been a few times where she'd been on the accidental receiving end of one of his attacks, never had she willingly stepped in front of an assault. To say the least, it terrified her. Anyone who would willingly fight against Ichigo must have been out of their minds.

She glanced back towards Ulquiorra who held onto her when she collided into him. _Curious_, she thought. It seemed as if he was also in discomfort as he glared at the opposing redhead. She blushed suddenly, realizing it must have been her weight that made him uncomfortable. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I must be so heavy-"

"Y-you!" Tatsuki and Rukia shouted simultaneously, both throwing a punch at Ichigo's head from both sides. "How dare you!" Friend or foe, anyone who would raise a blade against Orihime was an automatic asshole.

"Why are you protecting him?" Uryuu spoke as Ichigo soon became indisposed due to the other two livid female. He fixed his glasses, pushing it up the bridge of his nose. "You know what happened in Hueco Mundo. You remember what _they_ did to us." His blue eyes shot towards his adversary. "So, Inoue-chan, why are you defending him?"

Uryuu knew, despite her affinity towards the hot blooded Shinigami, he was always able to resonate with her on a more reasoned level. It was known that Ichigo thought more with his fists than his brain. On the other hand, Orihime might seem like an airhead to those who didn't know her well, was really smart, thoughtful, and among all else the kindest person he knew. Uryuu already knew her answer, but clearly, there were those who were a bit denser than others.

Her eyes drew away from the captivating green orbs and turned her attention back towards the class president and her friends.

"Because, Ishida-kun, it's the right thing to do."


End file.
